Hans Hemkes, Ramona Chamber of Commerce director in charge of the chamber's Christmas Tree Lighting event scheduled for today in Collier Park, said he held out as long as he could, but the decision came a short time ago to cancel the event.

"The fact that the wind was blowing so bad that trees were sideways made it impossible," he said.

A little bit of rain would have been fine, Hemkes said, but the wind created a potentially dangerous situation, particularly if a canopy blew over and hurt someone.

The event will not be rescheduled, he said, explaining it takes about 45 days to get the approvals needed to put on a community function the magnitude of the annual Christmas Tree Lighting.